Extremely rare. The original of the first edition
is kept at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris; this
is the only copy known.

This volume contains a dedication to Charles de Montmorency,
admiral of France, a letter in verse from the Sieur
de la Franchise, and an extract from the Privilege
du Roi, dated November 15th, 1603, signed by Brigard.

The second edition does not differ much from the preceding,
and its title bears the date 1604. Purchas’s
Pilgrims contains an English version of this
last edition. We find a synopsis of it in the
Mercure Francois, 1609, in the preface to the
former called Chronologie Septennaire de l’Histoire
de la paix entre les rois de France et d’Espagne,
1598-1608. This historical part has been borrowed
by Victor Palma Cayet for Champlain’s Voyage,
and its title is: Navigation des Francais
en la Nouvelle France dite Canada.

CHAPTER II

ACADIA—­STE. CROIX ISLAND—­PORT ROYAL

Soon after the period mentioned at the close of the
previous chapter, Pierre du Gua, Sieur de Monts, Governor
of Pont, a native of the ancient province of Saintonge,
who had served under Henry IV, obtained a commission
as “Lieutenant general au pays de Cadie, du 40
deg. au 46 deg.,” on the condition that his
energies should be especially directed to the propagation
of the Catholic faith.

De Monts was a Huguenot; nevertheless he agreed to
take with him to America a number of Catholic priests,
and to see that they were respected and obeyed.
Champlain was not satisfied with the choice of a Protestant
to colonize a country which he had intended to make
solely Catholic, and he states, “that those
enterprises made hastily never succeed.”

De Monts was not a stranger to America. He had
first visited the country with Chauvin in 1600, but
when he left Tadousac he was so discouraged that he
determined, in the event of his becoming master of
the situation, to attempt colonization only in Acadia,
or on the eastern borders of the Atlantic running
towards Florida.

It was well known in France that Acadia was the richest
and most fertile part of the New World. Excellent
harbours and good soil were found there. Fish
abounded near its coasts; its forests were numerous
and dense. An opinion existed that there were
numerous mines, rich in copper, coal and gypsum.
This country was also the favourite of the Normans,
Britons and Basques, who for a hundred years had pursued
their callings as fishermen or traders without interruption.